Waitress serves up principal West End casting

By Robin Johnson
First Published 4 December 2018, Last Updated 5 December 2018

The West End premiere of new musical Waitress has served up another hot slice of casting – and the show’s looking like a treat to die for.

Fresh from the announcement oven are Marisha Wallace (Effie White in Dreamgirls), who’ll play Becky (the role originally played on Broadway by Keala Settle), alongside Laura Baldwin (Eugenius!) as Dawn, Peter Hannah (Shakespeare In Love) as Earl, and David Hunter (until recently Charlie Price in Kinky Boots) as Dr Pomatter.

They’ll join the previously announced Katharine McPhee, who will make her West End debut in the central role of Jenna, when Waitress opens up at the Adelphi Theatre in February 2019. McPhee previously played the role on Broadway earlier this year.

Waitress tells the story of Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie-maker stuck in a fractious marriage. But when change is on the menu and the opportunity arises for a fresh start, Jenna must find the courage to seize it.

The show has an all-female lead creative team, headed up with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. We recently spoke to Sara about the West End transfer.

Previews will begin on 8 February 2019, ahead of the official opening night on 7 March.